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Without outside interference the legion would take the dam. They have the most numbers in the immediate area, and the NCR is spread too thin. As for westward expansion, I believe Caesar would have quite a bit of trouble getting past house and his securitrons, and even if Caesar DID manage to take New Vegas he would run into the same problems kimball has. His forces would be spread to thin, and the loyalty of his men would falter. The Legion would degrade back into warring tribes, waiting for someone else to come and destroy/assimilate them, because war, war never changes.

awesome response! but, in all fairness, have you ever tried to take on a horde of gun-wielding, power-armor wearing nationalists while you are armed with only a machete and some throwing spears? i did once, bad times were had by all, even though i was carrying inordinate amounts of healing powder and nevada agave fruit...:(

The Legion also uses guns sometimes even better guns than the NCR. Also I think the numbers would be even, the NCR would have more men possibly. The NCR would have fortifications and technology, but they are pussys and many will retreat. The Legion will have strategic superiority they will fight to the death and not run away like many NCR they would also have more allies in the region like the Khans and the Omertas, but when legion officers die the recruits would be confused and easy pickings like in the first battle of the dam

Not all legion soldiers fight to the death. I have seen them cower in fear when their health is down and they are about to die. They just run away to a corner and crouch and put their hands on their heads and wait for death.

I would agree the legion would win the dam, but you said they would be spread thin when that is not true the majority of people in the legion are in the slave army unlike the primarily civilian NCR, and after a few years the tribes would either be wiped out or integrated into the legion

The legionnaires are quite loyal. I wouldn't expect them to falter at all. And his forces wouldn't spread either cause he makes his forces as he marches on. He enslaves tribes and assimilate them. I think if the Legion took over the damn they would probably march onwards to lands with more tribes and just leave the whole thing behind since they don't really need the electricity. I think the Legion would only start dying out when there are no tribes for it to assimilate any more or it is too big to expand without spending more resources than it gets from conquests, kind of like how the Roman Empire died out.

Don't forget the legion also forces the assimilation of those it conquers so its numbers would potentially grow. The NCR merely recruits. The legion would of risen across the wasteland and reunited the land once again. In my mind, it's the means to a greater good of reforming a civilisation.

It depends. If its NCR forces at start of game, Legion wins. But at Level 16 NCR has Heavy Troopers and Veteran Rangers without your interference. So if that is the case then my Caps are on NCR winning again. If Hanlon was in charge again, NCR would win no matter what. The First battle had good tactics for NCR, bad Legion. 2nd has bad NCR, good legion (sneaking through storm drains.) But NCR had a contingency plan of their counter attack. So i would say NCR slight victory (if they get their Rangers and Shock troopers.)

Well, without any outside interference, the route the courier blew up in Lonesome Road would still exist, offering the NCR a crucial trade route. Not sure how that would play into things.
If you still count the route destroyed, there's a fair chance Ulysses would have just nuked them both anyway.

Haven't given that much thought, but an interesting thing to keep in mind.

spoiler As a courier, you deliver a package through an area (your home, actually) and the package activates dormant nuclear weapons, laying the whole region to waste. spoiler
Personally, I think the package delivery was commissioned by Vault-Tec, but that's just my crazy fan theory.

NCR.
Veteran Rangers wielding Ranger Sequoias and Anti-Materiel rifles could easily destroy Caesar's army. Yes, Caesar has more trips in the immediate area, but Veteran Rangers and Heavy Rangers would be able to take out the Legion with ease.

That they do. They're pretty good at marksmanship, too. But would they be able to defeat a never-ending mass? I mean, yeah, you'll snipe of a couple hundred or so before being overwhelmed. And ammo is finite, while the Legion has no need for ammo. They've got swords. Besides, they've got javelins, which are pretty fucking great as weapons, no offense to sniper rifles.